Ford Explorer Visor Brackets

I seldom blog about non-sailing topics, and never for the express purpose of boosting a product, but this guy deserves a boost. I have a soft spot for people selling stuff via a blog.

The factory visor bracket is a bit of plastic junk, not designed properly for the service. Failure is routine after about 5-7 years, generally on both sides, and costing about $170/side if the dealer does the work. Although the part should be only a few dollars, you must buy the entire visor and take the ceiling down in order to wire it up.

I stared at the problem for while, determined that replacing the whole unit would be an expensive pain, and that a smarter solution would be a set of 3 aluminum plates that could clamp the shaft. I have a full shop and the correct aluminum plate, but I also knew it would take a few hours of fitting to get it just right.

And then a little internet browsing brought me to this, exactly the solution I had envisioned!

Installation is a breeze:

• Pop the cover off with a screwdriver in the corners. It may have fallen off already.
• Unscrew the broken bits.
• Place the three plates around the shaft. Look a the above picture (top plate in the above picture is against the ceiling" and get them in the correct order; the bottom plate is beveled to accept the cover, and the top plate is beveled to match a shoulder on the shaft.
• Wiggle the screws through and tighten.
• Snap the cover on. A tap with the heel of the screw drive may be needed.

The visor feels tight and the parts should last as long as the car. Order a pair for $37.99 and fix both sides in 10 minutes. Faster than you could drive to the dealer.

 I have not re-installed the cover in this photograph. It snaps right on, so the finished result looks factory perfect.